Liverpool’s pursuit of a Champions League spot took a significant dent at Molineux on Tuesday night, as a toothless performance saw the defending Premier League champions fall 2-1 to basement-dwellers Wolves.
While the defeat snapped a promising three-game winning streak, the manner of the loss has sparked a post-mortem into Arne Slot’s recruitment and the fading spark of his key attackers. The result leaves the Reds trailing fifth-placed Aston Villa by three points, with Unai Emery’s side still holding a game in hand.
For many watching, including former Reds midfielder Danny Murphy, the struggles at the back and a lack of clinical edge up front are becoming impossible to ignore.
Full-back failures and the ‘Trent factor’
Central to Murphy’s criticism were summer signings Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez. Frimpong, whose £29.5million move from Bayer Leverkusen has been stuttering due to fitness issues, failed to provide the attacking outlet Liverpool have become accustomed to on the right flank.
Opposite him, Kerkez a £40m arrival from Bournemouth endured a night to forget, struggling with the electric pace of Mateus Mane and missing a gilt-edged tap-in from point-blank range that would have altered the complexion of the game.
Speaking on talkSPORT, Murphy was blunt about the drop-off in quality from the previous era:
“The new signings apart from Ekitike, Wirtz, I know he is out injured, he has had a pickle, but full-back areas, problem. Frimpong not as good as Trent, Kerkez can’t do what Robertson could do.”
Gakpo and Salah: A growing concern
It isn’t just the defensive reinforcements under the microscope. While Mohamed Salah managed to find the net at Molineux, his overall influence on games is waning, and Cody Gakpo’s output has become a major talking point.
Despite 23 starts this term, Gakpo has managed just six league goals a far cry from the talismanic performances he delivered during the title-winning campaign. With Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak sidelined, the burden has fallen on Gakpo, but the Dutchman currently looks a shadow of his former self.
Murphy noted the alarming dip in intensity and threat from Liverpool’s front line:
“Salah is struggling. I know he scored for the first time in a good while last night, but he’s struggling all-round game. Gakpo has fallen off the cliff compared to his form last season, and obviously Diaz was a blow, losing him, Isak has not been fit, but creativity and firepower ain’t there. They don’t look like scoring from open play very often.”
Slot faces uphill battle
Liverpool’s inability to break down a Wolves side destined for the Championship suggests a deeper tactical malaise. The transition from the high-octane days of old to Slot’s more measured approach is hitting a roadblock, particularly when the individual brilliance of the full-backs is removed from the equation.
Without the creative engine room of the injured Florian Wirtz, Liverpool look pedestrian. If Slot is to salvage a top-four finish from this season, he must find a way to reignite Gakpo and solve a full-back identity crisis that is currently costing the Reds dearly.
